A Call To Arms
by soiknowwhentoduck
Summary: Danny receives a call from Steve in the middle of the night asking for help - something is wrong, and he has to go and save his friend. Revelations and discoveries follow... Warnings: This story involves the use of the date rape drug, rohypnol, sexual attack & rape. Also, I have rubbish medical knowledge, so apologies if it is incorrect.


1.37am was never a time when Danny wanted to receive a call from his boss, but he was still up due to his insomnia and, knowing it was Steve's day off the following morning, he figured it couldn't be a case. Still, professionalism and all that...

"Williams," he grumbled.

"Danny?" Steve's voice sounded strange; out of breath and wavering just over that one word.

"Steve, you 'kay buddy?" Danny sat up, a wave of concern washing over him.

"Danny I... something's wrong, I don't feel good..."

The detective was already up and grabbing his car keys and a jacket, "Where are you Steve? I'm on my way."

The SEAL mumbled something incoherent and followed it up with, "I- I don't know Danny I-" and the line went silent.

Danny called his name but received nothing in return, the call dropped out and his stomach did a somersault. He was scrambling into the Camaro as he used his phone to log into the Five-0 secure network to access the team tracking data, looking up Steve's Silverado and praying it was wherever his partner was.

As it connected he squealed out of his driveway and headed in the direction of Steve's house as a guess, but when the GPS finally popped up and indicated the truck was at bar on the outskirts of town he swore loudly and spun his car in a one-eighty on the empty road and stamped on the accelerator, scenarios spinning through his mind. Steve hurt. Steve unconscious... Steve dead...

Five minutes later and his tires were kicking up gravel as he entered the bar's parking lot. He spotted the truck and ran over to it, checking inside. No Steve.

He headed for the bar and at that moment a group of four guys exited, music blaring from the open door into the night. Two of them were supporting a man in the middle of the group, while one was unlocking the side door of a white van. Danny immediately recognised his partner, knowing he was in trouble - his feet were being dragged along the ground between the men, he was limp with his arms thrown over their shoulders and his head was hanging down so his chin was on his chest, his eyes flickering open and closed as he tried to hold on to consciousness.

"Steve!" Danny yelled and ran towards the group. The guy who was unlocking the van immediately ran at Danny, thinking he could take him. The short blonde surprised him with a right hook to the eye, barely slowing his pace as he sprinted to save his friend. The other two men had given up hauling Steve into the van and dumped him in a heap on the ground. One went for the driver's seat and revved the engine while the other climbed into the passenger's side nearest to Danny. The detective grabbed his shirt shoulders and shoved him to the floor on his back, rage powering his movements.

The driver made a run for it, tyres screaming on the road as he exited the parking lot. The first guy had disappeared, having seen his chance for escape after recovering from Danny's attack. That just left him the third man, who was picking himself up off the floor and diving for Danny's legs. He bent to tackle the man in a clash of shoulders, his broad chest giving him the advantage. They rebounded off each other and the man managed to get a wild swing in to Danny's cheek, but Danny was still running on adrenaline and protective anger for his friend, and he was not to be messed with on a regular day, let alone now.

They both swung fists, each getting some connecting shots in before Danny managed to wrestle him to the ground and held his wrists to his back, planting his knees firmly on the guy's forearms.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the button for Chin, calling out Steve's name as he did. Steve groaned and shifted, but couldn't seem to do anything more.

Chin picked up the phone, voice full of sleep, "Kelly... We got a case?"

Ten minutes later, Chin, Kono and two ambulances sat in the parking lot.

The moment Chin had arrived, Danny had handed over the perp and let his friend cuff him while he ran to his downed partner, and now he sat on the cold ground with Steve's head cradled in his lap as the paramedics checked his partner's vitals.

Steve was dipping in and out of consciousness as Danny spoke to him in a soothing voice and badgered the medics for information.

The medic rocked back on her heels. "He doesn't appear to have any physical injuries, but going by his vitals and reactions it's pretty clear he's ingested rohypnol. He should be okay once he sleeps it off, and he'll feel groggy and have mood swings for a day or so, and we would suggest someone looks after him, but he should be okay to go home. We'd only suggest a hospital stay if he had further injuries or showed any adverse reactions."

Danny nodded, "I'll take him, I'll look after him." There was no question about that, it was simple fact. He rubbed Steve's shoulders gently.

The medic offered to look at Danny's injuries, but he declined. He just wanted to get Steve home and safe.

Kono came over and helped Danny raise Steve to his feet.

"How the hell did these guys manage to roofie a Navy SEAL?" she mumbled, looking with concern at her sagging boss.

"They must have got lucky, I guess. I still don't know why they wanted him, that guy gave me nothing. Maybe it was one of his enemies? Maybe it was random?" They lowered Steve into the passenger seat of the Camaro with a certain amount of difficulty.

"You gonna be okay at the other end, boss?" Kono asked Danny.

"Yeah, he's heavy but he's not that heavy... did you run that plate I gave you?" He levered the car seat so that it was laid back at an angle and Steve wasn't sitting upright anymore.

Kono waved her phone at him, "It's in the system now. I'll let you know if anything comes up, but Chin and I have got this handled, bruh. You get SuperSEAL home and take care of him," she smiled weakly, still worried behind the humour.

"I will, I'll take him to my house. Keep me informed," he gave her a quick hug and waved to Chin across the parking lot before driving his partner home.

Steve was listless and mostly unresponsive on the journey home and Danny checked on him every time they stopped at a red light, constantly reassuring him with words he didn't entirely believe himself. "It's okay Steve, everything's gonna be fine."

At the other end he managed to get Steve to partially support himself, though not for long, and dragged his partner across his front lawn and into the house.

3.05am and this was not the way Danny had ever though his day would begin.

Steve came back to reality slowly. Too slowly. His head was fuzzy and parts of his body felt numb. He couldn't quite connect his thoughts together and only flashes of the previous night came back to him. He'd gone to a bar, he knew that much. And that guy was hitting on him, but he'd turned him down. Not really his type, he much preferred blondes.

But this feeling, this wasn't right. This was not caused by alcohol, it was so much worse. His foggy mind screamed at him, but the thought felt so far away, like someone was shouting at him from across a great chasm. _You were drugged, Steve! You idiot, they drugged you!_ his internal voice berated him.

Danny, had he called Danny? He remembered staggering to the men's toilets, his phone dangling in his fingers as his lack of coordination made it hard to grip the slim plastic and glass, leaning against the sinks knowing that all he needed to do was get hold of his partner, his best friend. He'd know what to do, he'd save him.

Except he hadn't. He can't have. Because as Steve's senses began to return, his surroundings began to filter in. He was in someone's bed, on his side, the room was dark and the curtains were drawn, and someone was pressed up against his back. A solid, muscled, male body. A heavy arm was draped over Steve's waist, hot steady breath drifting down his back. _Shit_.

He began to struggle weakly, to fight against his assailant. What the hell had happened? Who was this and what had they done to him? Still fuzzy and uncoordinated, he flailed his arms and tried to push away, groaning "No no no get off me!"

"Steve, Steve babe, it's okay, it's me! It's me."

Steve stilled, brain still trying to register the voice, just on the edge of recognition, attempting to process the words. He opened his eyes and blinked in the dark room, staring up into a concerned face. Those eyes. Even though it was dark, he knew those eyes were a calming blue-grey; like steel, like the sea on a stormy day, like the colour he thought Heaven would be.

"Danny?" he croaked, still tense and gripping the other man's arm like a vice.

"Yeah babe, it's okay, you're alright. I've got you," his voice was so calm, that New Jersey accent soft and warm like he could crawl inside it and pull it around him.

He finally relaxed, let out a whimper that was more like a sob and pulled Danny's arm into his chest, wrapping both his big hands around his partner's wrist. Danny's other hand was in his hair, gently stroking and soothing, his thumb tracing little circles over his temple. "You're okay, buddy, I've got you..."

Steve let himself drift, mind still finding it hard to flow from one thought to another. He felt stilted and uneven.

But there was one thing he knew for certain right now. Danny had come for him, saved him. He always would.

He didn't even realise he'd said that thought out loud until Danny smiled and whispered, "You know it, buddy. Always. Now go back to sleep, you've had a rough night."

He knew that was definitely true, letting his mind shut down again as he settled back into the safety of his best friend. Danny held him tight, fingers still carding through his hair, whispering calming words into the back of his neck as he settled into the pillows, reassuring himself more than anything.

"I've got you, Steve. You're okay, you're safe."

As he felt his partner relax and drift back off to sleep, Danny tried to let himself unwind again. He was exhausted, having had a long day at work the previous day before they all went their separate ways, being unable to sleep as per usual, and then heading out to collect Steve. All that combined with the fact that once he'd got Steve into bed and changed into a different set of clothing that didn't have blood (the perp's) or dirt from the parking lot on them, he'd climbed into bed with Steve to ensure the SEAL didn't wake up alone after his ordeal only to find he was too angry to sleep. Not knowing the reasons behind the attack on Steve put him on edge, feeling like he should be on guard for another attempt, but something in his gut told him that part was over, that it was a one off. Still, he was angry. How dare someone do that to his SuperSEAL, his best friend? What if he hadn't got there in time? _What if?_

His reeling mind had finally given out at around 5.30am, but Steve had woken with a start at 7am and now Danny was again trying to slow his over-active heart after watching his friend have a moment of what can only be described as sheer unadulterated terror. The poor guy had woken up, not knowing where he was, still drugged and lying in bed with a guy. But at least he'd woken up.

 _Shut up, Danny_ , his inner voice warned, _Don't think about that. He's safe, he's here_.

Danny's mind drifted to the fact that he'd fallen asleep on one side of his double bed, one hand reaching out and resting on Steve's shoulder, only to wake up when Steve freaked out to discover he was now wrapped around his partner in a tight embrace, having moved over in his sleep, seeking the warmth and the comfort his friend provided, needing to make sure he was still okay.

 _Why are you doing this to yourself? Are you pining over your straight-as-an-arrow best friend and work partner again? Are you kidding me? Sort yourself out, Williams!_

He floated back into a fitful sleep again, pushing his forehead into the back of Steve's neck and enjoying the contact while he could.

Steve awoke again, alone. The sheets were tucked around him tightly, and a pillow had been wedged behind his back to keep him on his side - a good idea for someone who had been drugged, to prevent him from rolling onto his back and accidentally choking on vomit or his own tongue.

He struggled into a sitting position on the side of the bed, every movement an uphill battle, and planted his feet on the soft carpet.

"Danny?" His voice was quiet, he felt like a tiny injured bird and that made him feel pathetic and useless. He cleared his throat and called louder, "Danny!"

His partner appeared in the doorway, wearing black sweat pants and a loose fitting grey t-shirt. "Hey buddy, how you feeling?"

Steve rubbed his eyes. He couldn't help but notice his jeans were neatly folded on a chair in the corner of the room, and he was in his blue t-shirt and boxers. He sighed, "Faded..."

Danny squatted in front of him and took Steve's chin in his hand, lifting his face up. "I get that," he smiled weakly.

It was only now that Steve noticed the bruising. Danny had a black eye, a split lip, and a large bruise forming on his cheek and jaw. He reached out and put a shaky hand on Danny's face.

"What happened?" _Why am I shaking so much? Why can't I stop?_

Danny raised himself up and sat on the bed next to him, Steve leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face with his hands.

"I got a call from you at stupid o'clock this morning saying you didn't feel good, then you hung up on me. Gave me a freaking panic attack, Steve. I had to use your GPS tracker to find you and when I got there, three guys were loading you into a van. Medics said they drugged you, babe, you're gonna feel like crap for a day or two..." his voice was teasing, but laced with an edge of concern and fear.

"Rohypnol?" Steve asked blearily.

"Yeah..." Danny placed a warm hand on his back and rubbed him there gently.

"What happened to the guys? Who were they?" Memories were beginning to connect, but they were blurred and incomplete. Faces and words, voices he didn't recognise, crap music at the bar, a fight happening. Danny's voice, he remembered that. Calling his name. Telling him he couldn't get to him right now, he'd be over soon, yelling at someone to stop struggling or he'd kick the shit out of him. Cold hard gravel underneath him.

Danny sighed, "I don't know who they were yet. Two of them got away, though I managed to get a punch in on one of them. The third guy is in custody with Kono and Chin giving him the relevant hospitality."

"You got him, you took him down." Steve said, he remembered that bit. Danny was a good fighter, he knew what he was doing.

"Yeah, though he got some lucky shots in..."

Steve looked at Danny's face again, purple mottled patches marring his strong features, that split lip that he just wanted to kiss better. _Seriously Steve, he's your partner. Your friend! He's straight and you're a god damn moron. He saved your life and you're gonna repay him with what, a make out session? Stop looking at his mouth. Look anywhere but his mouth. Oh god his eyes are so blue._

Steve groaned out loud and rested his head in his hands again. He didn't feel safe doing anything else.

"I'm sorry Danny," he whispered, his voice leaving him again.

"You're sor- why are you apologising to me, you big goof? It wasn't you who hit me!" He admonished Steve, but then his voice softened, "Steve don't ever apologise to me for calling for help. Any kind of help. That's why I'm here, and I'll always be there for you when it is humanly possible, you get that?"

The SEAL nodded.

"Say it out loud."

Steve smiled, "You'll always be there for me when it's humanly possible," he repeated.

Danny stood and went to the door. "You want to come into the front room? I'm on the laptop and you can have the couch. And coffee?"

Steve nodded and slowly stood, accepting Danny's proffered hand for balance, and was lead through to the couch where he dropped himself on to it. Danny lifted his feet onto the other end and threw a blanket over him, simply falling straight into the role of mother hen without question or complaint.

He made Steve a coffee, along with an extra strong cup for himself, and settled at the kitchen table with his laptop. Half an hour later, he delivered an energy bar and a banana to him and stood over his partner until he ate everything, and then made him drink at least half the bottle of water he'd put in front of him. He was a father, it just came naturally these days.

He worked on the information Chin and Kono had provided for him while Steve zoned out on the couch.

Steve hated feeling this way. He was awake, but his mind wandered through a hazy fog and he tried to just let it wash over him. But he was safe, he knew that, and he let Danny take care of him the way he knew he'd take care of the detective if the roles were reversed.

He had a vague thought in the back of his mind that there was something he didn't want Danny to know, something he was afraid he would discover, but he couldn't quite work it out. Everything felt like it was wrapped in bubble wrap.

Danny's phone rang and he walked out of the room to take the call and not disturb Steve.

"Hey Chin, what have you got?"

"Hey Danny, we've tracked down the van and think we've got the driver. I'm just sending you a photo, can you confirm it's the guy you saw?"

A photo popped up on his phone seconds later. He put the phone back to his ear, "Yeah, that's the guy, Chin. What have you managed to find out?"

Chin listed off the guy's rap sheet - drug offenses, mostly minor, slowly escalating into some breaking and entering, and more recently, sexual misdemeanours and accusations of rape and sexual abuse concerning male victims, but nothing had stuck. "The other guy you took down has a pretty similar list, although it's shorter, but it leans toward more violent crimes rather than burglaries. GBH and the like. Kono is working on getting them to roll on their friend, I'm sure it won't be long..." he paused to let Danny take in the information. "Listen, Danny... that bar has had a few instances of clients claiming they have been drugged there. Some people have also gone missing after going out in that area and we are now concerned that these three have something to do with this..."

Danny took a deep breath, "If people have disappeared, Chin... do you think these guys could have killed them?" He kept his voice low so that Steve wouldn't hear.

He heard Chin sigh. "Yeah, I think so. And Steve was going to be their next victim."

Danny stood there in silence, trying to calm his pulse which had just started trying to leap out of his jugular.

"How is he?" Chin asked gently, probably aware that Danny was distressed at the idea and trying to remind him that his partner was still there with them.

Danny glanced toward the door into the front room and rubbed the back of his neck, "He's definitely not with it, he can't think straight and he's just sort of dozing. Physically he's okay, but I'm worried about how he'll feel when his memories start coming back, if they do. To be a victim, especially in this sort of crime, it's... well it's humiliating for anyone. It shouldn't be, but it is. And it's hard not to think of the what-ifs."

Chin made an agreeing hum, "I know Danny, but you've got him, and he'll feel safe with you. Just remember, he's alive and his ohana are here to do whatever he needs us to do."

"Thanks Chin, you always know what to say... and Chin?"

"Yeah, bruh?"

"Tell Kono to kick the crap put of those guys."

Chin laughed, "Like she needs telling!"

The detective ended the call and went back through to the front room. Steve was sitting up on the couch and staring blearily across the room at Danny's laptop on the table, which was angled slightly towards him. He looked up at Danny and then looked away at his feet.

Danny went and sat on the other end of the sofa and crossed his ankles in front of him. "Hey," he smiled, "How're you feeling now, Superman?"

Steve sighed and laid his head back against the couch, "Like I'm in a room full of Kryptonite..."

Danny smiled, "Hey, you do have awareness of pop culture. Colour me surprised!" He nudged Steve in the bicep with his elbow.

Steve glanced back again at the laptop and spoke in a quiet tone, staring at his hands. "What did Chin say?"

Danny filled him in on the perps and their rap sheets, skipping over the potential trail of bodies for now - Steve didn't need that on top of what had already happened.

"And you can stop worrying about that," he waved a hand at the laptop.

Steve tried to look nonchalant, "About what?"

Sitting on the screen was the bar's website: The Pink Panther. Danny had barely taken in the name while he was there, let alone the copious amounts of posters outside displaying half naked and well-oiled men. It was one of Honolulu's most frequented gay bars, particularly by the armed forces when they travelled through or were stationed in the area.

Danny smiled gently at his partner, "What are you afraid of right now?"

Steve swallowed hard. His heart was racing and he could hear his pulse in his ears. This was what he'd feared, he hadn't been able to think but now here it was. Danny now knew. He couldn't speak, he just squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that he could turn the clock back 24 hours. The attack at the bar, the embarrassment of what might have happened to him, the way he was currently feeling... Danny finding out about his night time activities... He wanted it all undone.

"So you're bi?" Danny's question was gentle, no accusation, no disgust, no hate. Just a question.

Still refusing to open his eyes, he nodded.

"I can tell you now I'm not judging you, Steve. I know you've spent most of your life in the Navy and had to deal with DADT and all the shit and hatred that came with it. But you could have told me, you know that right?" His voice was still calm and quiet. _How is he not freaking out right now?_

Steve opened his eyes but just stared at his feet, still unable to look his friend in the eye. "I know, I just... I didn't know you well at first, and then it just never came up because, well, Cath was always a factor... but since she left for Afghanistan, I've been going out again and... and it just got to the point that I couldn't tell you because I'd left it so long. You know?"

Danny sighed and looked back up at the laptop before swinging his legs up onto the couch and placed the soles of his socks against Steve's thigh to reassure him.

"Don't worry Steve, we don't have to talk any more about your poor life choices."

"I'm sorry Steve, but the Pink Panther? The playlist they have on their website looks like something dragged out of an 80s gay porno! Rudy's is much better on a Friday night..."

A good thirty seconds passed before Steve's muddled brain fully comprehended his partner's words. "Ru- what?"

"Also the guys are much hotter there..."

"Huh?"

"Think about it, Steve," Danny leaned back in his seat as Steve complied with the request, thoughts short circuiting.

"Rudy's is a gay bar..." Steve whispered, almost to himself.

"Yes, a good one," Danny confirmed.

Steve finally made proper eye contact with his friend, he knew his eyes were wide and his mouth was open and he probably looked a picture, but he couldn't really control it right now.

Danny gave him a soft smile.

"So you're...?" Steve began.

"Pansexual, if we're going by standard definitions," Danny filled in.

Steve nodded and went back to staring at his hands. This was all too much information to take in now, his head was filled with cotton wool and every thought that actually would occur to him was fighting for dominance.

"You want a sandwich?" Danny asked, as if they hadn't just had the strangest conversation of their friendship so far. He'd had longer to process the information, having found the bar's website two hours beforehand while doing his own digging into the attack, and not having a drug-addled brain also helped.

"Yeah," Steve mumbled, leaning back into the couch. When he felt better, they were going to have a long talk about this.

But for now, the rest of the day consisted of eating lunch, watching movies and Steve falling asleep with his head in his best friend's lap.

Two days later, Steve was back in the office with the rest of the team, wrapping up the last of the case. They had caught the third and final assailant after one of his friends gave up information about where be liked to hide out, and when he had been hauled in he was sporting more than just the black eye Danny had given him on the night of Steve's attack.

They had been linked to several rapes and murders in the past few months through DNA evidence found in the van they'd used. They were going down for a long time, and Halawa prison promised to be an interesting turning of the tables for them.

Steve turned off his laptop just as Danny leaned in through his office door.

"You ready to go, babe?"

Steve stood and smiled, "Yes, I never really did get my day off."

He walked out of his office and followed Danny across the bullpen, both of them waving to Chin and Kono as they passed their respective offices.

"Have fun, boys!" Kono cooed at them.

As they walked out of the Palace and toward the parking lot, Steve looked over at Danny. "You feeling more like Italian or Chinese tonight?"

"Do you even need to ask that?" The blonde detective grinned at him.

"Italian it is then," the SEAL returned the smile and moved closer to Danny.

Their fingers reached out for each other's and entwined between them, as they headed out for their first official date and a guaranteed long weekend off.

Partners in every sense of the word.


End file.
